Latest news with #MohammedalMiyahi
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Officials try to identify 18 bodies in deadly Iraq shopping mall fire
BAGHDAD — Officials struggled Friday to identify more than a dozen bodies pulled from a deadly shopping mall fire in Iraq, amid ongoing investigations into what caused the blaze. An Iraqi medical official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment said the final death toll was 63, including 18 bodies that could not be identified due to the severity of the burns and would undergo DNA testing. The Corniche Hypermarket mall in the town of Kut in Wasit province, a five-story building containing restaurants, shops and a supermarket, had opened just days before the blaze, which officials said broke out late Wednesday on the second floor in an area selling perfume and cosmetics. Civil defense crews were able to rescue 45 people from the burning building. Officials said that most of those who died were trapped on the upper floors. While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, officials blamed lack of safety standards in the building for the scale of the tragedy. Provincial Gov. Mohammed al-Miyahi has said that the building owner did not implement fire safety measures and had not applied for required permits. The provincial council of Wasit on Thursday voted to form committees to carry out building safety inspections and to suspend the director of Kut municipality and the director of occupational safety until investigations into the fire are complete. Al-Miyahi said Thursday that legal complaints had been filed against the building owner and shopping center owner, who could not be reached for comment. The governor said in a press conference that the son of the shopping center owner and other members of his family were among the victims in the blaze. Poor building standards have often contributed to tragic fires in Iraq. In July 2021, a blaze at a hospital in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah that killed between 60 to 92 people was determined to have been fueled by highly flammable, low-cost type of 'sandwich panel' cladding that is illegal in Iraq. In 2023, more than 100 people died in a fire at a wedding hall in the predominantly Christian area of Hamdaniya in Nineveh province after the ceiling panels above a pyrotechnic machine burst into flames. Qassim Abdul-zahra, The Associated Press
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Associated Press
Officials try to identify 18 bodies in deadly Iraq shopping mall fire
BAGHDAD (AP) — Officials struggled Friday to identify more than a dozen bodies pulled from a deadly shopping mall fire in Iraq, amid ongoing investigations into what caused the blaze. An Iraqi medical official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment said the final death toll was 63, including 18 bodies that could not be identified due to the severity of the burns and would undergo DNA testing. The Corniche Hypermarket mall in the town of Kut in Wasit province, a five-story building containing restaurants, shops and a supermarket, had opened just days before the blaze, which officials said broke out late Wednesday on the second floor in an area selling perfume and cosmetics. Civil defense crews were able to rescue 45 people from the burning building. Officials said that most of those who died were trapped on the upper floors. While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, officials blamed lack of safety standards in the building for the scale of the tragedy. Provincial Gov. Mohammed al-Miyahi has said that the building owner did not implement fire safety measures and had not applied for required permits. The provincial council of Wasit on Thursday voted to form committees to carry out building safety inspections and to suspend the director of Kut municipality and the director of occupational safety until investigations into the fire are complete. Al-Miyahi said Thursday that legal complaints had been filed against the building owner and shopping center owner, who could not be reached for comment. The governor said in a press conference that the son of the shopping center owner and other members of his family were among the victims in the blaze. Poor building standards have often contributed to tragic fires in Iraq. In July 2021, a blaze at a hospital in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah that killed between 60 to 92 people was determined to have been fueled by highly flammable, low-cost type of 'sandwich panel' cladding that is illegal in Iraq. In 2023, more than 100 people died in a fire at a wedding hall in the predominantly Christian area of Hamdaniya in Nineveh province after the ceiling panels above a pyrotechnic machine burst into flames.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- The Guardian
Fire tears through Iraq shopping centre, killing at least 60
A fire has torn through a shopping centre in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut, killing at least 60 people, as desperate people searched for missing relatives. Officials have launched an investigation into the blaze, the latest in a country where safety regulations are frequently neglected. At least two people said they had lost five relatives who had gone to the newly opened Hyper Mall to shop and eat dinner. The Wasit province governor, Mohammed al-Miyahi, told the state INA news agency that the victims included men, women and children.
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Fire at Iraqi shopping mall kills more than 50
Fatal fires occur frequently in Iraq due to lax safety standards. (EPA Images pic) KUT : A fire tore through a shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut overnight, killing more than 50 people, medical sources told AFP today. 'We have more than 50 martyrs, and many unidentified bodies,' a medical source said. An official in the health department of Wasit province put the toll at 55 dead, adding that rescuers are still looking for missing victims. Wasit province governor Mohammed al-Miyahi had earlier told the official INA news agency that 'the number of victims has reached 50 people, martyrs and injured, in the tragic fire at a major shopping centre'. The blaze broke out late yesterday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the Hyper Mall. The cause was not immediately known, but one survivor told AFP an air conditioner had exploded. Ambulances were still ferrying casualties to hospitals as late as 4am, filling the wards of a hospital in Kut, about 160km southeast of Baghdad. An AFP correspondent said the mall had only opened five days earlier and reported seeing charred bodies at the hospital. The fire has since been contained, but firefighters were continuing to search for missing victims. Videos shared on social media showed distraught relatives waiting at the hospital for news, with some collapsing in grief. One man was seen sitting on the ground, pounding his chest and crying out, 'Oh my father, oh my heart'. Dozens of people gathered in front of the hospital checking ambulances as they arrived, and some of them collapsing on the floor in agony. 'We couldn't escape' One of them, Nasir al-Quraishi, a doctor in his 50s, said he lost five family members in the fire. 'A disaster has befallen us,' he told AFP. 'We went to the mall to have some food, eat dinner and escape power cuts at home. 'An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted and we couldn't escape.' Miyahi declared three days of mourning and said local authorities would file a lawsuit against the mall's owner and the building contractor. An investigation into the cause was underway, the governor said, adding preliminary findings were expected within 48 hours. 'The tragedy is a major shock… and requires a serious review of all safety measures,' he said. Safety standards in Iraq's construction sector are often disregarded, and the country, whose infrastructure is in disrepair after decades of conflict, is often the scene of fatal fires and accidents. Fires increase during the blistering summer as temperatures approach 50°C. In September 2023, a fire killed at least 100 people when it ripped through a crowded Iraqi wedding hall, sparking a panicked stampede for the exits. In July 2021, a fire in the Covid unit of a hospital in southern Iraq killed more than 60 people.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Fire at newly opened Iraqi shopping centre kills 61 people, says interior ministry
A fire has torn through a shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut, killing at least 60 people, as desperate people searched for missing relatives. Officials have launched an investigation into the blaze, the latest in a country where safety regulations are frequently neglected. At least two people said they had lost five relatives who had gone to the newly opened Hyper Mall for shopping and dinner. 'The tragic fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms, and among them 14 charred bodies yet to be identified,' the interior ministry said in a statement. The Wasit province governor, Mohammed al-Miyahi, told the state INA news agency that the victims included men, women and children. A medical source in Kut told AFP there were 'many unidentified bodies'. Rescuers were still searching for the missing, an AFP correspondent reported from the scene. Civil defence teams rescued more than 45 people who were trapped inside the five-storey building, which includes a restaurant and a supermarket, the interior ministry said. The blaze broke out late on Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the building. The cause was not immediately known, but one survivor told AFP an air conditioner had exploded. Ambulances were still ferrying casualties to hospitals at 4am, with wards in Kut – around 160km (100 miles) south-east of Baghdad – overwhelmed. An AFP correspondent said the mall had only opened five days earlier and reported seeing charred bodies at the province's forensic department. Though the fire was eventually contained, firefighters continued searching for missing victims. Videos posted on social media showed distraught relatives waiting at the hospital for news, some collapsing in grief. One man sat on the ground, pounding his chest and crying out, 'Oh my father, oh my heart'. Dozens of people gathered outside the hospital checking ambulances as they arrived, some of them overcome with emotion. One of them, Nasir al-Quraishi, a doctor in his 50s, said he had lost five family members in the fire. 'A disaster has befallen us,' he told AFP. 'We went to the mall to have some food, eat dinner and escape power cuts at home. An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted – and we couldn't escape.' Miyahi declared three days of mourning and said local authorities would file a lawsuit against the mall's owner and the building contractor. 'The tragedy is a major shock ... and requires a serious review of all safety measures,' he said. The Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, ordered a 'thorough probe' into the fire to identify 'shortcomings' and prevent further incidents. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Shiite Islam's highest authority in Iraq, offered condolences to the victims' families. Safety standards in Iraq's construction sector are often disregarded, and the country, whose infrastructure is in disrepair after decades of conflict, is often the scene of fatal fires and accidents. Fires increase during the blistering summer as temperatures approach 50 In September 2023, a fire killed at least 100 people when it ripped through a crowded Iraqi wedding hall, sparking a panicked rush for the exits. In July 2021, a fire in the Covid unit of a hospital in southern Iraq killed more than 60 people.
